>Date:    Sun, 15 Apr 2007 08:21:11 -0400
>From:    Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
>Subject: Re: Lower bleeder screw question (searched archives)
>
>Neil,
>
><snip> I bit the bullet and
>bought a Motive unit for european cars, and I was so impressed, that I'll
>never bleed the pump way again!  Superior, fast and a good, solid pedal the
>first time.  And no need to enlist help, grease bleed screws, or go round
>and round and round, trying to get a better pedal.  Invest in one, if you
>plan to do all the work on all your cars, like I do.  They're not very
>expensive, and you can avoid taking the car to a shop and paying them to use
>thier pressure bleeder on your car.   It'll pay for itself on the first use.
>
>HTH,
>
>Mike B
>
Clearly a pressure bleeder is the way to go if you must do the job by
yourself.  But, the only reason you "go round and round and round,
trying to get a better pedal" is because you're making *the* most common
mistake with brake bleeding...PUMPING the pedal.  Pumping does two
things, pressurize the system, and foam the break fluid.  It's the
foaming part that screws up the whole process and keeps you from
efficiently removing the air.  The quick, easy, foolproof method is:

1.  Fill the MC with fluid.
2.  Start at the bleeder farthest from the MC, i.e. right rear.
3.  Open the bleeder first.
4.  *Slowly* (allows you to see what's going on in step 7)  depress the
brake pedal all the way to the floor and HOLD.
5.  Close the bleeder.
6.  Release the brake pedal.
7.  Repeat steps 3 through 6 until you get clear, clean, fluid for two
or three iterations.
8.  Repeat the process for LR, RF, then LF wheels.  Make sure you do
step 1 a lot.

I've done hundreds of vehicles this way, and you never have to do it
twice unless the MC has a problem (or you forget step one).

Keith Hughes
'86 Westy Tiico (Marvin)